Read this inspiring story from The Guardian on Spain’s dramatic increase of renewable energy and consequent 23% decline in energy-related carbon emissions. Remarkable new figures from Spain’s grid operator have revealed that greenhouse gas emissions from the country’s power sector are likely to have fallen 23.1% last year, as power generation from
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The Common Sense Canadian: Energy analyst: Oil-by-rail jeopardized by explosions
Exploding rail cars in last year’s Lac-Mégantic catastrophe were carrying highly flammable oil products Read this Jan. 6 column from Reuters energy analyst John Kemp on the risks posed to the emerging oil-by-rail business by the highly combustible products it’s transporting. The rising number of serious accidents involving oil tank
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Clark rushes Woodfibre LNG approval, risking backlash
Artist’s rendering of proposed Woodfibre LNG terminal in Howe Sound, BC Read this Jan. 6 Globe and Mail story by Mark Hume on BC Premier Christy Clark’s push to get a new, proposed LNG terminal in Howe Sound approved with reduced regulatory hurdles – a move that could backfire. Premier Christy Clark
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Former Conservative environment minister: Keystone XL a “distraction”
CIBC VP and former Conservative Environment Minister Jim Prentice (image: youtube) CALGARY – Former Conservative cabinet minister Jim Prentice is urging Canada and the United States to look beyond the contentious and high-profile Keystone XL oil pipeline when it comes to their trade relationship. Prentice — who handled the environment
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Groups ask court to enforce species at risk laws re: pipelines, tankers
Humpback whales are among the species on BC’s coast threatened by oil tanker plans VANCOUVER – Environmental groups are in a federal court in Vancouver today to try and force the federal government to abide by its own Species At Risk Act. Ecojustice, on behalf of five groups, says Ottawa
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Mechanical failure spurred CN oil train derailment in New Brunswick
Emergency responders stayed back from the NB train derailment due to safety concerns (wagmtv.com) Read this Jan. 8 story from CBC.ca on the latest derailment of a train carrying petroleum products, this time in New Brunswick. The CN Rail derailment that is behind a massive fire near Plaster Rock, N.B.,
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: 60 Minutes charged with hit job on cleantech
Read this Jan 6 story from the Huffington Post on the backlash generated by a recent 60 Minutes exposé titled “Cleantech Crash”. A recent “60 Minutes” segment is drawing sharp criticism for its pessimistic take on the green technology sector, which questioned whether clean tech has become a “dirty word.”
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: In BC, fracking happens closer to schools, homes
This school playground in Farmington, BC, sits a few hundred meters from a sour gas well (Damien Gillis) Read this December 29 Vancouver Sun story from Stephen Hume on the revolving door between government and the shale gas industry that has left BC’s children and families more vulnerable to the risks
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Lubicon Lake Nation appeals injunction over oil fracking blockade
Photo: Lubicon Lake Nation CALGARY – A First Nation is appealing a court injunction against a blockade of an energy company’s drilling site in northern Alberta. The Lubicon Lake Nation says the injunction granted to PennWest Petroleum Ltd. (TSX:PWT) last month gives the company unfettered access to an oil hydraulic
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Fracking water issues keep bubbling to surface
Texan Steve Lipsky sparked a heated battle over fracking and water contamination (image: Gasland II) Despite the shale gas industry’s aggressive efforts to keep a lid on water use and contamination issues relating to its activities, troubling new evidence continues bubbling to the surface, making it increasingly difficult to deny
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Alberta, BC plan for oil-by-rail in case pipelines fail
A 2012 CN derailment in Alberta by Steven Chua, The Canadian Press VANCOUVER – A task force report has been handed in to the British Columbia and Alberta governments that examines the idea of transporting oilsands’ crude via rail if proposed pipelines don’t get the green light, government documents show.
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Alberta faces onslaught of oilsands lawsuits
ACFN Chief Allan Adam outside an Alberta court in 2012, challenging Shell’s Jackpine development by Bob Weber, The Canadian Press EDMONTON – Simmering disputes over the oilsands between Alberta aboriginals and the provincial and federal governments will break into the open in 2014 as virtually every one of the many recent
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Fracking California: State divided over Monterey Shale
Californians protest fracking in front of the governor’s offices, May, 2013 (Justin Sullivan/Getty) Read this Dec. 29 Los Angeles Times opinion piece by Alex Prud’homme on the potential fracking boom and associated environmental problems now facing California. “Eureka!” reads the California motto, originated in the 19th century Gold Rush. Now some believe
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Lac-Megantic voted top Canadian news story of 2013
MONTREAL – Editors and news directors across the country have selected the Lac-Megantic train derailment as Canada’s News Story of the Year, garnering 30.6% of the vote – ahead of Senate expenses and the Rob Ford scandal, which drew 24.2% and 22.6%, respectively. The following are select quotes from news editors
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: EPA watchdog finds water concerns over Texas fracking justified
Steve Lipsky’s water issues are at the centre of a regulatory controversy involving fracking in Texas Read this Dec. 24 story from Ecowatch.com and Earthworks on the findings of the US EPA’s internal watchdog, justifying the agency’s intervention in a water contamination case regarding frackin in Texas. Today the U.S.
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Canadians get lots of coal, oil and gas in holiday trash dump
The Friday night trash dump is a well-known trick of governments looking to dispense with bad news as quietly as possible. Controversial announcements are made in the last hour of the last day of the week to avoid public scrutiny. This year, the holiday season has served the same role, only on a much
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: No Surprise: Panel finds in favour of Enbridge
Former Enbridge CEO and Northern Gateway champion Patrick Daniel CALGARY – A review panel is recommending that the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline that would connect the Alberta oilsands to tankers on the B.C. coast go ahead. But the panel has attached 209 conditions to the project. The final decision rests
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: NEB to announce Enbridge recommendations today
Chiefs of the Tsimshian First Nation speak out against Enrbidge at a 2012 Prince Rupert rally VANCOUVER – Following months of hearings, years of debate and dozens of protests, the federal panel reviewing the controversial Northern Gateway pipeline will release its report later today. Much hangs in the balance. The
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Vancouver Council will apply as intervener for Kinder Morgan pipeline hearing
Read this Dec. 19 story from The Georgia Straight on Vancouver City Council’s vote to apply for intervener status in the upcoming National Energy Board hearings into Kinder Morgan’s recently filed application for a major oil pipeline expansion to Vancouver. VANCOUVER CITY COUNCIL has voted in favour of applying for intervenor status at National
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: BC LNG bigger than Tar Sands? Export licences face Cabinet review
BC LNG applications dwarf oil pipeline proposals and Tar Sands production, but receive only a fraction of the attention. On Monday, the same day the news broke that Kinder Morgan has finally filed its Vancouver pipeline expansion proposal, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver also chose to announce that four massive
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